Despite mess made by maps, no groundswell of legislative support for redistricting reform yet

The longer redistricting uncertainty drags on, the greater chance that lawmakers will want to reform the process for next time, said Rep. Tim Moore, R-Elizabethtown, who has proposed a commission appointed by lawmakers to draw the map starting after the 2020 Census.

Under House Bill 310, legislative leaders would appoint 12 people to the commission who would come up with a redistricting plan. Then the General Assembly would vote up or down on that plan.

But so far, Moore has been joined in the effort by just five other lawmakers — Democratic Rep. Jim Wayne of Louisville and four Republicans, Mike Nemes and Louisville, David Osborne of Prospect, Danny Ford of Mount Vernon and Bill Farmer of Lexington.

“Both myself and Representative Wayne and, in private, the overwhelming majority of the House and I dare say the Senate as well realizes something has to change,” Moore said (7:30).

“Will it be enough to convince the leaders to give up their inherent power?” Moore asked. Find out how he answered that (8:20).

The House approved a map that includes odd-shaped districts and placed nine incumbents in districts with each other. Eight were Republicans in the minority. And the Senate map moved the number of Sen. Kathy Stein’s district in Lexington to a newly-created district in Northern Kentucky.

But both maps included a district with a population above the maximum. And that’s what got the maps tossed out by a Franklin Circuit judge. The issue is now pending before the Supreme Court.

Moore was asked whether he thought one map was more politically egregious than the other.

“In a word, no. But I will say that the tone that has been set for far too long originated when, quite bluntly when the Democratic Party controlled both chambers of the General Assembly,” he said (3:00-4:00). Had the House Democratic leaders chose to do the right thing … the Senate would also have followed suit, I truly believe.”